Me and my friends wrote 21 questions for referees to answer recently. I answered them for the High King project.
1. Where can I learn new spells? Who is the greatest wizard in all the land?
You learn new spells not directly from other sorceresses but by finding fallen stars. If you find a fallen star for a constellation you already have, you can trade it to another sorceresses for one of her duplicates, like trading cards.
Or, indirectly, if you do service to the Tower, you may be loaned fallen stars from their treasury to prepare spells from.
Ostensibly, the Archantress Melice is the most powerful sorceress. At least in terms of political power. Any of the Enchantresses of the Tower are probably of co-equal potency. There's no saying who could take whom in a one-on-one magical duel.
a. Is this wizard hot or not?
Yes, but also no. Too intimidating. Beautiful, but cold.
2. What are the major religions? Who are the gods?
The people of the Stone Islands have a simple, unquestioned belief that the universe was created and is sustained by a nameless, all-powerful divinity. They are usually called "the Increate."
Assignment of human traits to the Increate feels inappropriate for the folk of the Stone Isles, and attributes like "strong," "wise", or even "male" and "female" aren't used. Rather, titles like "Pancreator," "Panjudicator," or other emphatic and poetic names are given to Them.
The Increate is so large that the human mind cannot perceive Them. We stand on an island and might say "the world," but the island is just one part of the world—but the world is too big to see at once. So the Increate emanates angels to tell humans about some part of their vastness: they are like a bull at rest in the meadow. They are like a trumpet made of fire. They are like fire that is cold.
Each angel, then, is a single virtue of the Increate made manifest. But whereas the Increate is a mystery, an angel is more knowable, more interactable. Many people evoke their names in oaths, pray to them for intercession, and use their charms to aid them in their day-to-day lives.
There are also dead gods under the sea--the Deep Ones. They were there before humans came, before the isles were formed. They will be there after they are gone.
Nobody worships them. Almost.
It is not good to worship them.
Using the Increate or an angel's name is rude at best (and blasphemous at worst), so saint's names are employed when making oaths. "Saint Belin!" is a common one, which is polite enough. "Saint Gadreel!" is another one, although it does name an angel. Others include: "Simion's Ass!" "Abbadora's Ass!" "Gobnait's Hooks!" "Let Melito bless you" (a curse).
3. Where can I be from?
You can be from any of the Stone Isles. You should either be from one of the main cities or just say you're "a villager" from a village that you may name.
4. Who holds power? Who is marginalized? (Put another way: Who tills the land, and who "owns" it?)
It's a feudal society, with nobles (knights and sorceresses) on top, and commoners on the bottom. Most islands are ruled by a king or baron. The kings all pay homage to the High King, who is gone. Most people don't know where he went, just that he's gone. The Sail King was his steward, and rules in his stead.
Mercantile power is concentrated in the hands of the Guilds. Guilders are commoners, but have political capital.
Social mobility is possible by being knighted (essentially adopted into a noble house) or by joining a holy order: clerics are members of an ecclesiastical government that is parallel to the power of the kings.
5. Where can I receive magical healing and be cured of curses?
The baths in Caer Harrow on Totemmark in the north are said to have healing properties.
There are also temples to the angels. The Order of Clerics are in charge of the temples, and can sing healing hymns, but they only have so many uses of those miracles. The biggest and most important temple is the Starvault in the capital city of Caer Ond on Pellidor.
There are also rumored to be magical wells and enchanted pools in the ruins of the old Wizard Kings. Sometimes these have magical curative powers. They're also inside dungeons, full of dangers, so not really a safe option for most people.
6. How are families organized?
In simple ways. For common folk, marriage and divorce is self directed and unbound by law. There's a level of civil freedom that, despite being quasi-medieval, would be laudable in our world.
For nobles, political marriages are important and prescribed. These are covered in the game's rules.
The Stone Islanders have language for three genders: male, female, and genderqueer. If I'm feeling indulgent, I'll get into the linguistic aspects.
7. How do you usually travel between cities?
Boats. The archipelago is (perhaps obviously) a nautical power, and its people are sea people. Being able to manage a sailing ship, from a coracle to a caravel, is an almost universal skill.
Merchant vessels regularly travel between major port cities. The "sea roads" are kept open by knights, defending them against corsairs and raiders from the North.
8. Who is a renowned hero from the past? What is their name and what did they accomplish?
Atum the first man sang the Stone Isles into existence. But that's not really a hero, I guess.
Gwion the Bard is a popular hero whose doomed love of the elf Arren was said to lead to the defeat of the Wizard Kings. The Wandlord wished to steal Arren and entomb her with him, but Gwion battled him from the prow of his flying ship. His magic sword, Starslayer, cut the Wandlord's from the sky, and the rest of the Wizard Kings' tombs fell with them. Arren became a sea bird and escaped the crash, which is why sea birds seem to be constantly keening.
The angel Gadreel is sometimes glossed as a warrior-saint who slayed many dragons. If there's a dragon-shaped rock on an island, the villagers will say "That was once a dragon, slain by St. Gadreel." There's probably 100 of these throughout the archipelago.
9. How does magic work?
"Arcane" magic works by making a wish on a star in the True Speech. You wish for something specific: usually "I wish that guy over there was on fire." To make a wish/cast a spell, you need a "fallen star": a crystal orb, fallen from heaven, that connects you to the star that grants the wish.
"Holy" "magic" is done by angels. Clerics can ask the angels to perform these miracles by singing hymns to them. Clerics are granted authority to petition the angels a certain number of times per day according to their rank.
a. Can I buy magic potions at a store?
Yes, many towns have resident sorceresses who specialize in creating magic potions for sale.
b. Can I buy magic swords at a store?
Absolutely not. The Wizard Kings made all the magic swords, then hid them so nobody could benefit from them. They can only be claimed by knights, who have the right to wield them.
c. Can I sell magic potions and magic swords?
Yes to the former, no to the latter.
10. What are three mythic treasures of this land and where are they rumored to be?
The Stone of Pain is an oathstone found on Ffaln, the Isle of the Dead. Any oath made while touching it cannot be broken.
Anu, mother of sorceresses, was said to have a magic ring of wishes. One must imagine it is in a dragon's hoard in the Isle of the Moon on Evensong.
The sword Starslayer is somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, in the wreckage of Gwion's flying ship.
The greatest treasures of the land are the Runes of Rule, who bind the islands together with justice. Finding them all would mean the return of the High King. They are in the fallen tombs of the Wizard Kings.
11. I'm being accused of a crime. What happens next? Who judges me and what sort of punishment can I expect?
You will be brought to the highest ranking knight in the area, and they will hear what happened and decide what should happen next. When knights are accused of crimes, the local lord (baron, king, etc.) is the one who must hear the case.
Knights have broad authority when it comes to dispensing temporal justice, but capital punishment is rare. Fines are common, with charges (nominally) being weighted to your station. Service to the realm in one form or other may be appropriate for adventuresome types.
If you have a problem with the justice dispensed from a knight, you can complain to their liege lord. Ostensibly, you could complain right up the chain to the Ship King himself.
12. What do we spend our hard-earned gold on? Where do we spend it?
Here's the thing: Unless you're a Guilder, you don't actually own the gold that you collect. Knights give it to their liege lord. Sorceresses give it to the Tower. Clerics give it to the church. That said, you probably have control over the resources that you have brought back.
You spend your gold in your home base. The main city from the island that you are from is your home base.
If you need specialty gear, you may need to travel for it. Caer Ond is the largest and most metropolitan city, so it has most everything.
You will need to buy:
- Finery and raiment
- Equipment for exploration
- Arms and armor (knights/clerics)
- Passage between islands
- Guild services (messages sent, intelligence, questions answered)
- Hirelings and henchmen
- Sidekicks (apprentices, novices, squires)
- Long-term projects (orphanariums, seawalls, monuments)
- Gifts to local NPCs to improve relations
- (Knights) Tower building and improvement
- (Clerics) Shrine/temple building and improvement
- (Sorceresses) Potions and wand enchantments
- (Guilders) Guild hall building and improvement
13. What great disaster happened in the past that still echoes on today?
When the Isle of Ffaln erupted, there was a flood that covered all the land. Saint Alrisa kept the human race alive within the belly of the leviathan.
The Dawn Lands, the sunken continent, was destroyed by the Wizard Kings. The High King escaped its destruction. He brought a period of peace to the Stone Isles, although his homeland is no more.
When Gwion the Bard fought the Wandlord, the tombs of the Wizard Kings fell from the sky. You can find them scattered around the isles and under the sea. They have unsurpassed magical treasures and dangers inside of them.
14. What are the biggest yearly festivals?
Like in our world, a year is 365 days. The people of the Isles use something like the Coptic calendar: 12 months of 30 days, and an intercalary month (the Little Month) of 5 or 6 days. The year begins at the end of the harvest season.
Here are the major festivals:
New Years / The Wheel Dance
The year begins and ends with the Little Month, a period of five or six days. It is a major carnival, with elaborate costumes, parades, public street parties, and circuses. These festivities keep bad luck and dark spirits out of the villages and cities in the coming year; the ordered, regular months offer protection during the rest of the year. Each night of the New Year Week, the islanders perform the Wheel Dance around a bonfire in the center of the town.
St. Martyn's Day
The feast of St. Martyn is celebrated with the first slaughtering of animals for winter provision and the first tapping of the year's wine casks. A celebration of last year's harvests and hard work. Red is worn. Candles and lanterns are lit and carried through the city's streets.
St. Gadreel's Feast, Winter Solstice
A three day festival surrounding the winter solstice. A puppet dragon is carried through the city, where it is ceremonially slain by a celebrant representing St. Gadreel. Children dig through its straw-filled insides for presents and sweets. Gifts are given, especially from liege to lief and from the rich to poor.
Hocktide, Spring Equinox
Hocktide is celebrated on the equinox. It is a topsy turvy festival, where children play at capturing their parents and demand ransoms for their release. Sometimes parents are paraded through the streets with costumes like an oxen's yolk. The children afterwards are expected to donate the moneys raised to charitable causes in their town.
Spirit-upon-Spirits, St. Omet's Day, Summer Solstice
A festival celebrating the return of summer. The temples are opened and the statues of the angels (or a decorated bull) are paraded through town to bless the growing season. Bread is made from the first fruits of corn. Weddings, betrothals, and other celebrations of love are common.
Festival of Offerings, St. Katherine's Day, Autumn Equinox
A day of remembrance for the dead. The fruits of the harvests are offered to the departed in hopes that they will not linger as ghosts but progress quickly into the cycle of reincarnation at Ffaln. It is also a festival in commemoration of the martyrdom of St. Katherine, who was tortured to death by Intathin the Wizard King of the White Lands.
a. What can I do during these festivals that I can't do at other times of the year?
New Year Week: You can expect intrigue in cities and in courts during the largest festival of the year. Wine loosens lips, and many social conventions are circumvented, allowing you unique access to NPCs and locations. Also, sorceresses can only create (semi)permanent enchantments during this week, so many sorceresses turn to their workshops during this festival.
St. Gadreel's Feast: As players, you can expect a gift from your lord at this festival. Your henchmen and hirelings expect one from you, too.
Hocktide: At Hocktide, we'll check in on your children and family situation.
Spirit-upon-Spirits: During this festival, we'll make a check to see if unmarried characters have a received or would like to make a proposal of marriage.
Festival of Offerings: During this festival, you have a chance to spend gold to build memorials or raise mausoleums for dead characters. Money spent during this festival is contributed as XP for the player's new character, letting low-level new characters catch up to older, more established PCs.
b. What sort of food can I eat during these festivals?
St. Martyn's Day: Boiled goose, new wine
St. Gadreel's Day: Fried fishes, boar, mulled wine, honey & nut cakes, candies
Hocktide: Quail, barley porridge, pickled eggs, sweet yogurts
Spirit-upon-Spirits: Elaborate breads, love bread (bread baked with menstrual blood as a love spell)
Festival of Offerings: Gourds, breads, fresh fruits, pies, Katherine's Wheels (cookies)
* I'll note that every island has its individual festivals for saints, miracles, and local angels. At any single day, some village somewhere is having a bonkers-go-nuts festival.
Side note: All this noodling on how to make festivals player facing has got me thinking. Maybe festivals are related to the types of downtime actions that players can do? Maybe it makes some downtime actions free? Something to investigate there.
15. Where does the oldest dragon lair? What is her name?
Orm Gostir dwells on Evensong, wrapping her long body around the Tower of the Moon.
a. What does she demand of her vassals?
Humans do not serve dragons. Nobody serves dragons. They live in themselves. But dragons sometimes do require things of humans.
What she asks of humans is a secret:
Orm Gostir demands that the sorceresses return Ffaln, the Isle of Death, to the dragons.
16. What monsters are common and what do we know about them?
There are dragons. They are like forces of nature. Not malicious, but catastrophic.
Undead are pernicious. They refuse to enter the cycle of death and rebirth. Much must be done by the living to ensure that the undead to not linger overlong, or else they become wicked. These include ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, wraiths, werewolves, specters, and (worst of all) wights.
There are trolls. They are a dying breed, but each one is troublesome in its own way--strong, stupid, and inhuman in its morality.
There are troll dogs. They are worse than wolves.
There are gnolls, a cross between trolls and gnomes.
There are orcs, luckily mostly confined to Lockwind. They are born of demon-possessed pigs. They are breeding, they are breeding.
There are mermaids, who possess a sort of parallel and opposite world to humans. They delight in sinking ships. Their cousins are the harpies, the furies, and the sirens. None are kindly to humans.
When entering the fallen tombs of the Wizard Kings, one must beware their bronze giants, their slimes, their invisible stalkers, their elementals, and their chimeric animals. The Wizard Kings also made gargoyles, but those guys are okay.
17. If we're not sure where to go next, who should we ask?
Fuck I don't know. Who made 21 of these? Jesus.
OK, no, wait--I do know.
In general, everybody exists within a hierarchy. A knight will report to their liege lord. A sorceress will report to the Tower. A guilder will report to their guild. You often have someone telling you where to go--or someone in your party where to go.
If you all are really stumped, you can go to the Monastery of Kemes on Infish and ask the monks that live there what the Black Book of Kemes says. It's bound to give you some obscure directions.
18. How is the moon fucked up?
It's green.
19. What guilds, orders, or secret societies can I join?
PCs mostly exist within guilds and orders. That's one of the primary assumptions of the campaign setting.
But also, each character class has unique and exclusive orders that exist within them. A way to diversify yourself, to specialize, to join a side-faction. These will all be explained in the class descriptions.
20. What threatens the peace of the world or the status quo?
The players.
21. What would a traveler from our world recognize as being immediately different? (e.g., the world is flat, humans change gender many times throughout their lives, a single season lasts years, etc.)
No comments:
Post a Comment